WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department said Wednesday that married gay veterans would be eligible for spousal benefits, in another step toward bringing federal agencies in line with a June Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage.

In a letter to Congress, Attorney General Eric Holder wrote that the Obama administration would cease enforcing a federal law that defined “spouse” as a person of the opposite sex, precluding married gay couples from receiving veterans benefits.

Holder cited the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in United States v. Windsor, which effectively struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The 1996 law had prohibited the federal government from recognizing gay marriage, including for the purpose of federal benefits.

But Holder’s letter did not address an issue that could prevent couples in states that ban gay marriage from receiving veterans benefits. In a separate decision last week, the Internal Revenue Service announced that gay couples in any state could file joint tax returns as long as the couple was legally married in another state where gay marriage is legal — also known as the “place of celebration” rule.

“It shouldn’t matter what state people live in, if they’re married,” said Denny Meyer, a spokesman for American Veterans for Equal Rights, a veterans group that supports equal benefits for same-sex couples.

It’s not yet clear what rule applies for veterans. If it’s the place of celebration, then any couple would be eligible. If it’s the “place of residence” rule, spousal benefits might not be available to gay veterans in about three dozen states, including Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania, which have some of the nation’s largest veteran populations.

Christians everywhere will begin to rise up and proclaim their unconditional love and support for their gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members. This new movement, inspired by Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” project, encourages LGBT-affirming Christians to upload videos that unapologetically express their full acceptance of LGBT people.

The NALT Christians Project (www.NotAllLikeThat.org), created by Christian author John Shore and Truth Wins Out, will be an online platform that directly challenges the idea that anti-gay Christians represent all or even most of the Christian faithful. The first two videos on the website are from author and advocate Dan Savage, and NALT co-founder John Shore and his wife Catherine.

Frequently, well-intentioned progressive Christians approach LGBT people to say high-profile fundamentalist Christians who dominate the airwaves do not speak for them. They believe in equality. Dan Savage has dubbed these folks “NALT Christians,” because they often say that they are “not all like that,” meaning they are not anti-gay. Savage and others began telling these well meaning folks, “Don’t tell us you’re not all like that. Tell the National Organization for Marriage’s Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown. Tell the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins you’re not all like that. Tell the media. Tell your friends in church. Go online and tell the world.”

The NALT Christians Project is the embodiment of this critically important idea. It aims to inspire Christian LGBT allies to move their support from the shadows into the public square. Through their NALT videos, Christians will put their values into action, and lead the clarion, Bible-based call for freedom and justice for all people.

NALT is co-founded by Shore, as well as Wayne Besen (who grew up in Fort Lauderdale) and Evan Hurst of Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit organization that counters religious extremism. Co-sponsors of the project include: Reconciling Ministries Network, Faith in America, The Evangelical Network, GLAD Alliance, Methodists in New Directions, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Many Voices, and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.

If your organization is interested in co-sponsoring The NALT Christians Project, please contact John Shore, john@johnshore.com.

NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia -- President Vladimir Putin sought to ease concerns that Russia's new anti-gay law would be used to punish athletes who display rainbow flags during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, while insisting that gays are not discriminated against in his country.

"I assure you that I work with these people, I sometimes award them with state prizes or decorations for their achievements in various fields," Putin said in an interview with The Associated Press and Russia's state Channel 1 television late Tuesday. "We have absolutely normal relations, and I don't see anything out of the ordinary here."

He added that Russians love Tchaikovsky even though the composer was said to have been a homosexual. "Truth be told, we don't love him because of that, but he was a great musician and we all love his music," Putin said.

Putin offered to meet with members of the gay and lesbian community if they asked to see him.